We have reached the threshold of the jubilee of the founding of our beloved Society of the Divine Word. It has been 150 years of life and mission, bringing together men from all parts of the world and sending them to all people. The Holy Spirit has been supporting this work that was entrusted to Saint Arnold Janssen, and also to those who preceded us in the mission, and to us, in the present moment.

A Jubilee is a milestone to evaluate, celebrate and make a commitment for the future. In biblical terms, we can speak of three essential aspects of this year that guarantee a just and balanced society: forgiveness, restoration and the restitution of dignity. In other words, the year of jubilee must recreate relationships that have become unjust and unequal.

Nearly 100 friends and benefactors gathered at the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) community in Bangkok on Sunday, September 15, to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of SVD’s presence in Thailand.

While the main celebration is scheduled to take place in Nong Bua Lamphu Province, northeastern Thailand, on September 28, the Bangkok community held a local event for those unable to make the 600 km journey to Nong Bua Lamphu.

SVD-ness. This sounds familiar to us, especially when we think of our identity which uniquely differentiates us from other religious congregations.  As we have recently inaugurated the Jubilee Year of the 150^th anniversary of our beloved SVD, we, SVDs are all invited to celebrate this special milestone with much more awareness of strengthening and deepening our core identity as SVD religious missionaries.

This reflection is centred on a few essential aspects of living out our SVD-ness in the light of the Jubilee theme “Witnessing to the Light, from Everywhere for Everyone”.

We are very close to the opening of celebrations for the 150^th anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word.

In the Australia Province the opening of the anniversary year on the SVD Foundation Day, September 8, will take place on the same day that we witness the ordination to the priesthood of Deacon Cuong Quoc Dang SVD in Melbourne.

In his address to members of the Society of the Divine Word during their General Chapter last month, Pope Francis encouraged the missionaries to follow “the way of the Spirit” in the footsteps of their founder and to be prophets of hope in a war-torn world.

Pope Francis’ address came as the SVD prepares to celebrate the 150th anniversary of foundation of the congregation in 2025.

As we are here, surrounded by the lush greenery of Nemi Hill, let us pause to contemplate the profound significance of this moment, said SVD Superior-General, Fr Budi Kleden SVD in his homily at the Opening Mass of the 19th General Chapter in Nemi, Italy.

Just as a cedar tree in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel in the first reading, from a tiny seed grows into a majestic forest, so too does our General Chapter, a journey of awe-inspiring growth and transformation for our Society of the Divine Word.

Greetings from Nemi, Italy, where I am attending the 19^th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word.

With Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, I am representing the Australia Province at the General Chapter and working hard as part of the Chapter’s Steering Committee and as a small group facilitator. Fr Prakash was a part of the International Preparatory Committee which helped formulate the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document which guides the Chapter’s proceedings.

The Australia Province will soon welcome a newly ordained priest, Fr Roger Kyaw Thu SVD, as he takes up his first assignment to his homeland of Myanmar.

Roger, together with three other Divine Word Missionaries, was ordained last month by Bishop J. Terry Steib SVD, the Bishop Emeritus of Memphis Tennessee, at the Church of the Holy Family in Chicago, USA.